When the Potters returned to school they received a standing ovation, much to their chagrin. Every non-Slytherin student had, at one time or another, wanted to lay into Snape, and while they were disappointed that it wasn't even a Hogwarts student who'd done it, they were thrilled that someone finally had. As far as they were concerned, the git deserved far worse than he got.
Their embattled Headmaster was another story entirely. The latest series of articles took him to task both for the resurrection of the Triwizard Tournament, and for the selection of its Tasks. Across the nation, people were wondering if Dumbledore was finally going senile. It was sad, really, but it fit perfectly into their plans, and Sebastian was working overtime to get their theft case ready, among other things.
Soon the man would be dealt with, and Harry could get on with his life, such as it was.
The attention they received as a result of their actions was not comfortable, however – especially for Harry – and was made worse by an article that appeared mid-week. Someone discovered that he was responsible for bringing the case against Snape in the first place, and that led to a complete breakdown of how it came about. It was also clear that Madam Bones had been interviewed for the article, as the writer knew of the upcoming obstruction case against the Headmaster.
While Harry didn't care about that – the man would likely be fined and that was it – the attention it brought him was significant. The press speculated on the connection between that and the lack of trust between Harry and Dumbledore that had been highlighted in the trial, and everyone wanted to know more. Harry had taken to staying with Fawkes or Fleur at all times; the former could get him away in an instant, and the latter–
Well, nobody wanted to make her mad.
That was the other effect of the attack. Everyone now understood that Fleur was a deadly opponent even without a wand, and people were rather intimidated by her. Even the Beauxbatons students, once they were made aware of the situation, left her well alone for a change. Nobody wanted to be on the wrong side of Fleur Potter, and it showed.
Even the Headmaster was nervous in her presence. He watched her whenever she was in the room, and while it was with a calculating expression that Harry didn't like in the slightest, it was also easy to see that the man was wary. He suspected that Dumbledore was trying to figure out a way to separate them, as together they were a force to be reckoned with, at least to hear the papers tell it.
Nobody wanted a tool that thought for itself, after all, and she'd enabled Harry to do just that.
And making their week even less normal than usual, the Ministry had written to inform them that they'd been selected as recipients of the Order of Merlin, thanks to their actions at the trial. It should probably have been a Third Class, but their young ages bumped them up a rank, and the publicity yet another. The Ministry was offering them First Class awards.
Harry was not thrilled, especially given previous recipients of said award. Lockhart, Pettigrew, and Dumbledore? Why would he want to be associated with the likes of them? The only thing that prevented him declining was Fleur's calm explanation of why it was useful in their efforts to free him from Dumbledore: an Order of Merlin winner was seen as having credibility.
He scoffed, but still gave in, as deep down he knew she was right. Fleur herself didn't care either way about the award; they weren't her thing, but she didn't have quite the same dislike of attention that he harboured. And so they agreed to accept them, and the ceremony would take place just after the Easter holidays.
At the moment, however, such thoughts were far from Harry's mind, and he was instead considering his relationship with Fleur. Her patience was astounding as the intense attention caused his moods to swing without warning, and she somehow always knew how to bring him back down to earth. He'd done nothing for her in return, and that bothered him.
He was not to know that she was quite happy with his mere presence.
He wanted to do something to thank her properly, but didn't know what. The next Hogsmeade weekend was over Easter, when they would be at Chateau Delacour with her family, so a date wouldn't work. He thought of doing something on campus with her, maybe dinner in the astronomy tower, but that felt cheesy and cheap. He wanted something good, perhaps a gift that she would appreciate.
But what to get? His only real option was to sneak out on a weekend and look through Hogsmeade. He had to imagine that he could find something for her there, at least a token of his appreciation, but he had never been gift-shopping for her before. And someone would have to keep her busy so she didn't know where he'd gone, or she might send Fawkes after him.
The makings of a plan forming in his mind, Harry redirected his steps to Gryffindor Tower. It would be simple: he could ask Hermione to keep her busy tomorrow – he would have to thank her as well – and talk Ron into sneaking off campus with him, which wouldn't be hard. It'd been a while since he'd spent any time alone with his best male friend anyway, and perhaps it would make Ron feel better.
Unfortunately, the trip would never materialize.
Harry moved through the common room with efficiency borne of long practice, dodging students as he went. Classes were over for the day, so it was likely that Hermione was studying, and since she wasn't with Fleur as she so often was these days, he figured he'd find her here. And sure enough, there she was in front of the fire – but she wasn't studying.
It would appear that Ron had interrupted her efforts and hacked her off in the process. They stood toe-to-toe in front of the fireplace, sniping viciously at each other. Harry frowned; Ron was in a rather dark mood lately, and it was getting annoying. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all?
And then–
"INSENSITIVE GIT!" she shouted at him, too angry to realize that she had a growing audience. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?"
"IT'S TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT!" Ron roared back, his face red with anger. "GIT GETS EVERYTHING HANDED TO HIM!"
Harry's stomach clenched as he realized that he was the subject of their latest argument.
"Oh yes, handed to him!" she snarled sarcastically. "Tell me, Ronald, what does he have that he hasn't paid dearly for? Go on, tell me!"
"What doesn't he have?" countered Ron rhetorically, throwing his hands in the air. "Let's see, he's got fame, he's got money... Oh, and the git doesn't even have to ask a girl out! Noooo, not Harry Potter! Harry Potter wins a girl in a bloody tournament!" His expression turned ugly as he added, "And let's not forget the special treatment, Hermione. They even get their own room so they can shag whenever they want! Not even you can defend that!"
The blood drained from Harry's face as he listened, and he was dimly aware of several heads turning his direction. He was frozen in place, unable to move. He did not want to listen to this, but he couldn't force himself to walk away. And it did not help that the entire common room was now listening as well...
Hermione scoffed openly. "Oh, is that what this is about?" she asked dangerously. "You're jealous because he got trapped into marrying the girl you can't stop drooling over?"
"Bollocks!" snarled Ron. "He didn't get trapped into anything! Have you even seen them? They're so lovey-dovey it's disgusting!"
Hermione closed her eyes for a long moment as though praying for patience, and then–
"Let me remind of you of a few things, Ronald," she growled. "Fame? Money? Hah! He paid for those with his parents' lives! He doesn't have even the smallest thing you take for granted! Instead he had to live with people who hate him! And yes, Ron, he was trapped, and so was she. He didn't even like Fleur because she was a bitch to everyone! And you're part of the reason she was acting like that! Do you have any idea how obnoxious it is to be stared at like a piece of meat?"
"He likes her well enough now!" countered Ron hotly. "And it's not my fault she's got some bloody power that makes her look pretty!"
"I don't see Neville doing it, or Fred, or George!" she returned without missing a beat. "They can control themselves, so why can't you? Hell, my father, a Muggle, can control himself around her! So what's your excuse, Ronald?"
Harry thought she had a good point, but wondered when this had become about Fleur. His stomach churned uncomfortably at the knowledge that his so-called best friend was so blind to the situation. Did he really think the special treatment Harry most often received was a good thing?
"Whatever," said Ron dismissively, ignoring her point. "So he didn't like her! He does now, and they bloody moved in together! How is that fair, Hermione? How is that bloody fair to the rest of us?"
"When you save a veela's life," she scowled, "with absolutely no intention of ever asking for a reward, when you earn that life debt, then you too can be trapped into a marriage you don't want, Ronald. Or did you forget that he gave up his future for her? He's not lucky for having her, he's just lucky she turned out to be a decent human being when she isn't dealing with gits like you!"
"Right, because I'm sure that's what happened," retorted Ron. "Nobody knows what went on down there! They probably told everyone that so they could get together!"
Hermione's went soft, but with a deadly undertone. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?" she hissed. "I didn't like her either, and I wasn't about to let my best friend be trapped so someone could get his money!" And the she suddenly roared: "I VERIFIED THE DEBT MYSELF, YOU BLOODY GIT!"
Harry blinked. Either Hermione was lying, or she was sneakier than he gave her credit for. He didn't remember her ever even questioning it, but apparently she had. Even if she hadn't trusted him, it still brought a small amount of warmth to his soul to know that she cared so much. It was much needed at the moment in the face of Ron's opinions...
"I did it when they weren't looking," she said quietly, turning her back on the room to stare into the fire. "Harry doesn't know. I borrowed his Invisibility Cloak and snuck into the Beauxbatons dorms and tested her myself. The debt was real."
"Oh, because that makes it so much better," snorted Ron. "So what if it was real! He's still got her! And now he gets away with anything he wants, Hermione! He stole the Headmaster's phoenix and he didn't even get punished, for Merlin's sake! And now they're giving him an Order of Merlin? It's not fair!"
Hermione's eyes narrowed in tightly controlled rage. "You know what, Ron?" she said dangerously. "It's not fair. It's not fair that Harry lost everything when he was a baby. It's not fair that he had to live with those awful people. It's not fair that he's had to save so many people's lives, including your sister's! It's not fair that he got entered against his will into a Tournament so dangerous that it shouldn't even be allowed! It's not fair that he doesn't get to choose who he falls in love with and marries! And no, Ron, it's not fair that he was attacked by that bastard, saved another life, and spent three days in the bloody hospital recovering, to earn that Order of Merlin!"
Ron just got angrier as her tirade went on, but she wasn't finished. "But you know what really isn't fair, Ronald?" she whispered angrily. "What really isn't fair is how many chances he's given a complete git like you. You're a childish, immature, self-centered, egotistical, dim-witted, jealous, lazy slob, and he still forgives you every time you screw up!"
The truth was apparently too much for Ron to handle. As Hermione went through her litany of attributes – ones that, unfortunately, Harry could not disagree with – his expression grew darker and darker, his growing rage apparent. The look in his eyes was murderous, and Harry knew somehow that this would not end well. He was moving before she even finished speaking, some sixth sense screaming danger in his ear.
And as she finished, Ron wound his arm back, his hand closing into a fist, his jealous, hateful stare meeting Hermione's angry and disgusted one. And then, to Harry's absolute horror, he let fly. His fist swung, aiming squarely for Hermione's exposed jaw, and Harry could not believe that he would actually hit her.
And then–
SMACK!
If the common room was silent before, you could have heard a pin drop now. Few had realized his presence, let alone Ron and Hermione, but there he stood, gritting his teeth against the pain in his hand where he'd caught Ron's fist before it could make contact. He would later decide that it must have been accidental magic; the impact was fierce, but his hand didn't even budge, and he could swear he heard several of Ron's bones pop.
Ron howled in pain, even as Hermione stood there in stunned silence, not having seen it coming in the slightest. A verbal argument was one thing – they'd had enough of them over the years – but for Ron to try to hit her? It was something she could not fathom, and it shone clearly in the shock on her face.
And Harry... Harry was angrier than he could ever recall having been before. He stared at a terrified Ron as the boy nursed his broken hand, doing his best to restrain his rage so he didn't curse the boy. There were so many things he felt he should say, but he was having a hard time forcing the words through the red haze that had descended.
"We're through!" he finally snarled. "If this is how you treat your friends, then I want nothing to do with you! Tired of being in my shadow, are you? Fine, you're on your own now! I hope you enjoy it, because no simple half-arsed apology is going to fix it this time, you jealous son of a bitch!"
Ron's face lost considerable color at the expression Harry was wearing. The look in his eyes was one he never would have thought to turn on his supposed best friend before today. It was the look that told of how he felt about disgusting creatures like Snape and Voldemort! But he couldn't help it.
Shaking his head in disgust, he turned to Hermione, who was staring at Ron like she'd never truly seen him before. In light of what had just taken place, Harry couldn't blame her: he wasn't sure that he had ever truly seen Ron before. No, he had no idea at all who Ron Weasley was.
But there were more important things to consider at the moment. "Come on, Hermione," he grunted, gently gripping her shoulder and forcibly turning her away from the obnoxious redhead. "Let's get out of here."